Two can keep a secret
by myprofoundfantasy
Summary: When total opposites James Potter and Scorpius Malfoy witness a murder, they must fight to stay alive and keep the killer from finding them out. But as the threat looms larger, their secrets may catch up with them and ruin everything. Loosely inspired by the TV show Eyewitness, which is based on a Norwegian crime thriller. Not Cursed Child-compliant.
1. Chapter 1

**This story has been on my mind for a while now, and I got the inspiration from the TV show Eyewitness which sadly was cancelled after one season (if you're interested, the show is based on the Norwegian series, Oyevitne, and there's even a French version). I have the first nine chapters written and most of the story mapped out in my head so I'm hoping to update this weekly. I was waiting to be more than halfway done, but I got impatient. :)**

**Also, it's been a long time since I last wrote a story on here so I don't know if disclaimers are still a thing. In case they are, I do not own the rights to the Harry Potter franchise.**

**Enjoy!**

Two can keep a secret

Chapter 1

James woke to the sound of his mom's voice calling his name - a familiar tone that let him know she thought he was up to no good and needed to "straighten up." Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he glanced over at his bedside table and noticed the time. He would be a seventh year - the big man on campus; the excitement and anticipation should have had him bouncing around his room. Instead, he'd partied a little too hard at the end-of-summer party last night and only wished for a gallon of water, a hangover potion and more sleep. Much more sleep. As James sat up in his bed, yawning as he wondered if he would have enough time for a ten minute nap, a knock sounded at his door. "In a minute!" He shouted, more irritably than necessary.

His dad poked his head through the door and noticed his eldest son still in bed looking worse for wear. Opening the door wider, he stepped inside and went to sit on the edge of James' bed, facing him. "We're leaving soon. You all packed?"

James let out another yawn before answering, "The beauty of being eighteen is that I can magically pack everything in all of ten seconds without getting into trouble."

Harry gave his son a small smile and chuckled lightly. "You ready for your last year? I can't believe how fast the time has gone."

"You sure I can't skip this year? It worked out well for you," he half-joked.

The smile from Harry's face dropped, and he shook his head. "Listen, Jamie. You know I try not to get onto you for having fun and being a kid, but you're an adult now. This is your last year at Hogwarts, and soon you'll be out in the real world. You need to start taking life more seriously because you won't be able to get by on my and your mum's laurels forever. I want to see you be successful and earn a name for yourself by your own merits."

James fought hard not to roll his eyes. He'd heard this lecture before and was in no need to suffer through it again. "Dad, I'm tired. I have a massive headache. Can we not do this right now?"

"There's never been a good time for you, James," Harry chided him. "Now, your mother and I have been very easy on you kids, and maybe that's our fault. But you need to take your seventh year seriously. Study hard, do well on your N.E.W.T.s and figure out what it is you want to do with your life."

"Yeah, okay, Dad. I get it. Can I please get dressed now?" He loved his parents - his entire family, really; they were amazing, and he wouldn't trade them for the world. But "taking things seriously" just wasn't in his programming, and that wasn't likely to change now just because he was a seventh year. He knew he needed to figure out what the hell he wanted to do for the rest of his life, and soon. Did he want to try out for professional Quidditch? Work in uncle George's shop with Freddie? Maybe even travel the world? James had no idea, and to be honest the thought of having to choose made him sick to his stomach. Growing up seemed like the worst idea ever, and James would have been perfectly happy putting it off forever.

When his dad left, the auburn-haired Gryffindor got dressed and quickly packed up his trunk in time to eat the last of breakfast.

The compartment inside the Hogwarts Express was rather quiet by James' normal standards. It was just him and Fred with a compartment all to themselves. Their other two best friends - Louis Weasley and Frankie Longbottom - were both in the prefects compartment, as well as Albus, Rose and Molly. The fact that several of his family members had been made prefect was not lost on him - not that he wanted to be a brownnosing rule-follower, mind; but it was like they were all part of some exclusive club that he would never be a part of thanks to his blatant disregard for the rules and consistent spot in detention. At least he had his partner-in-crime and fellow troublemaker, Freddie, right by his side.

"I wonder what those prats are going on about," James thought aloud.

"We could spy on them and find out," Fred absently suggested, engrossed in drawing something on his parchment. Although not the spitting image of his namesake's appearance, all of the adults said that Fred the second was exactly like Fred the first. He was always inventing new pranks and gag items to test on the unsuspecting Hogwarts population. Whereas Fred was the brains of their little operation, James liked to believe that he was the face of it. He wasn't the most capable wizard, but he had charm and charisma - two things that couldn't be obtained by studying. Fred had always known that he would work at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes with his dad and uncle Ron before eventually taking it over. James thought it must be great to know exactly what you were going to do for the rest of your life. Reminded of the conversation that he'd had with his dad hours earlier, James worried that he would never know what he should do with his life. Damn if that thought wasn't a major mood-killer. Seventh year hadn't even begun yet; he needed to survive that first before thinking about boring adult things.

"I've got an even better idea," he said, slowly grinning. Standing up, he told his cousin his plan before both Gryffindors exited the compartment.

* * *

Scorpius hated meeting in the prefects compartment. The meetings were long and the compartment, although magically enlarged to fit everyone, was cramped. He was sitting shoulder to shoulder with his best friend, Cady Goyle, and Albus Potter, an annoying git but certainly not the worst of the Potter-Weasley clan - almost half of whom sat in this very compartment. Hogwarts was littered with them, but thankfully Lily Potter was the only one to invade Slytherin's Potter-Weasley-free zone. The worst of them were the four seventh-year Gryffindors who called themselves 'The Marauders 2.0,' whatever the hell that meant - Louis, Frankie (not related but might as well be), Fred and James. After this year, they would all be gone, thank Merlin. Not that they went out of their way to make his life hell or anything, but they were all too loud, too full of themselves and too _Gryffindor_.

Case in point… Scorpius' thoughts were interrupted by loud banging on the compartment door. He looked over and, of course, saw Fred and James banging on the door throwing what looked like exploding confetti, an asinine and useless invention if you asked him, and shouting such things as, "stuck-up wankers" and "brownnosing prats." The blond sixth-year glanced at Frankie who could barely contain his laughter. Louis, the Head Boy, did a better job of hiding his smile, at least. Willow Pieters, the Head Girl and a fiercely intimidating Ravenclaw, scowled at Louis before calling everyone to order once Fred and James ran off, howling with laughter, to whatever hellish place they came from.

"Fucking dumbarses," Scorpius muttered to himself.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy, what was that?" Louis turned his full attention to Scorpius, his face practically glowing with smugness. "What kind of example are you setting as Prefect with that potty mouth? Unless you have something of value to say, which I highly doubt, I suggest you keep quiet."

Scorpius' ears reddened as he scowled at the Head Boy. He could hear Albus snickering beside him.

"That goes for you too, Al," Louis sharply said, clearly enjoying himself. Scorpius silently cursed the Headmistress for obviously falling for Louis' stupid veela charm and inflating his already massive ego even more by putting him in charge. This was going to be a long year.

After the insufferable meeting, Scorpius and the other prefects patrolled the Hogwarts Express which gave him and Cady a chance to catch up. He'd known Cady since they'd been in diapers, and the two had been inseparable since.

"Merlin, Willow talks forever," Cady said as they leisurely strolled down a corridor, peering through the compartment windows to ensure everything and everyone were in order. "So, when will I get to meet this César?" She asked Scorpius, linking arms with him.

Scorpius grinned at the mention of that name. He had met César while he and his parents vacationed in the French Riviera. César was a devilishly handsome French boy who had just graduated from Beauxbatons, and they had had an incredible summer love affair. The romantic walks along the Promenade in Nice while holding hands, making out in the dead of night on the pebble beach, taking spontaneous day trips to Monaco; it had been the best summer of his entire life, and of course he had written Cady all about it. Before leaving to go back to dreary England, he and César promised that they would write each other every week.

"He told me before I left that he would visit me at Hogsmeade in a couple of weeks," Scorpius exclaimed, unable to keep the huge smile off his face.

"Brilliant!" Cady shared in his excitement. "But you better tell him that he's on thin ice until he gets your best friend's seal of approval."

"You'll love him," Scorpius promised, keeping his voice low. "He's the most perfect person ever." Cady was the only one who knew about César, and he preferred to keep it that way. Scorpius had known that he was gay for a few years, but he hadn't ever acted upon it before this past summer. It had started out innocently enough - he had met César at one of the dinner parties that he and his parents always attended. A friendship blossomed before it led to something more. Kissing César for the first time - the first time he had kissed anyone, in fact - had felt _so right_. He was terrified of his parents finding out, though. Although they were far from prejudiced, evident in his dad's charity work to try to right the wrongs of his Death Eater past, they were still a pureblood family, and his parents had certain expectations for him. Being gay definitely did not fall in their plans for him, and the last thing he ever wanted to do was disappoint his parents.

* * *

Once the start-of-term feast ended and all the prefects did their "prefectly" duties, James and the other seventh-year Gryffindor students gathered in the boys' dormitory. "A toast!" James exclaimed, slurring his words, as he stood unsteadily on a dresser to be seen and heard by everyone. He was slightly drunker than everyone else, and that was entirely due to Fred's daring him to take as many shots of firewhiskey as he could without taking a breath. He made it to two and one-fourth before choking. Not the smartest idea, and one he would most certainly feel in the morning. "This is without a doubt the best class in all of Hogwarts. You all are awesome, and I'm gonna miss you shitheads come June. Here's to making our last year the best one yet!" James raised his half-full glass of a pumpkin juice cocktail in the air, and his fellow students did the same, whooping and hollering.

Wobbling even more, James lost his balance and fell right into the arms of Louis. "Hello dear cousin of mine," he drawled.

Louis rolled his eyes and grinned as helped James to his feet. "Frankie and I helped the first-years twenty minutes ago and you're already wasted," he playfully chastised in his signature silky French accent. "How are you such a lightweight?"

"'M not a lightweight," James loudly slurred, leaning against the wall to regain balance. "Blame Fred. It's his fault."

"Oi! You twat!" Fred shouted at James from across the room. He was cuddling with his long-time girlfriend of three years, Cassidy Thomas. "I'm four shots in, and you don't see me falling off dressers."

James flipped off his best mate who, by the way, was sitting down, so that was totally not a fair comparison! He turned back toward Louis to voice this, but the blond was about to be swarmed by his "posse." Every damn party, Louis got swept away by members of his fan club. Yes, he actually had a fan club. Louis took great pride in using his one-eighth veela charm and beauty to his advantage, and girls and boys alike did everything they could to win his affection. It was strange, but hey; Louis got way more action than the three of his best mates combined, so who was James to complain? More power to him.

"I see we've already lost Louis for the night," Frankie mused as James approached him. He stood at the beverage table counting each bottle and cup. James watched him for a moment before asking, "What are you doing?"

Frankie stayed silent until he finished. "Taking inventory," he stated simply. "I don't want anyone taking a bottle and thinking they can get away with it." At James' cocked eyebrow, he added, "I'm a prefect and Louis is Head Boy. Do you have any idea the risk we're taking by participating in this soirée?"

"You're not even drinking."

"That doesn't matter. It's being held in our room." Frankie broke eye contact to yell at someone about not exploding any of the furniture. James couldn't help but grin. Frankie was definitely the sensible one of the group, always trying to keep his friends out of trouble. James used to think it was because his dad was a professor, and professors tended to gossip more than the students. But being protective of his friends was just in his nature.

"You know these parties can't be a regular thing, right?" Frankie told James.

"Yeah, yeah," James waved him off. "That just means we've got to go all out tonight. Live a little, Franks! It's the start of our last year here!"

"Yes, and our most important one." Before Frankie could launch into another wretched lecture, James nodded as he backed away slowly before turning and disappearing into the crowd. He didn't know why everyone was making such a big deal about seventh year and the N.E.W.T.s. He had performed dismally in his classes the last couple of years, yet he was still here like everyone else. There was no need to worry.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Scorpius loved when professors took students outside for lessons, especially when the weather was as nice as it was today. This warm summer breeze wasn't likely to last much longer with the inevitability of autumn's chilly temperatures and harsh winds quickly approaching. Defence Against the Dark Arts was one of his favorite subjects, and today the class was gathered on the lawn practicing non-verbal spells - specifically, stunning and disarming spells.

Practicing in small groups of four, the class took turns against machinated training dummies. Scorpius had managed to non-verbally disarm the dummy a couple of times, but he was having a fair bit of trouble with the stunning spell.

"Don't get frustrated," Professor Goldstein instructed. "Keep at it, and stay focused!"

By the end of class, Scorpius' arm was seriously cramping from waving his wand so much. He still hadn't been able to stun the dummy, although he had come close a few times. As he and Cady walked across the lawn heading to their next class, he was still concentrating on the spell, his wand in hand.

Waving his wand downward, he said the spell in his head, not actually expecting anything to happen. But of course the one time the spell decided to work for him was when class was over. And _of course _the spell had to hit Albus Potter, who was a few steps in front of him, in the back. Scorpius' jaw dropped as he watched Albus fly forward from the impact of his spell. He was half-pleased that he'd gotten the spell right and half-worried that he might have hurt the Gryffindor.

Scorpius rushed over to Albus and stuck out his hand to help him up. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect that to happen!" He apologized in a rush. Albus took his hand and got up, dusting himself off. "Oh, it's fine. No harm - " Albus was cut off by James appearing from absolutely nowhere and hitting Scorpius square in the chest with the disarming spell. Scorpius flew backward, landing roughly on his back. _How the bloody hell did he get here?_ He thought.

"You're a blooming coward, Malfoy," James shouted, "cursing my brother from behind like that!"

Instantly filled with anger, Scorpius retrieved his wand, got to his feet and waved his wand to non-verbally stun James. It worked again, and James flew backward this time.

"Boys, that's enough!" Professor Goldstein ran over to them. "Dueling outside of class is forbidden. You both know this." Glancing over at James, he asked, "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"I have a free period," James answered, focusing only on Scorpius as he marched up to the Slytherin. "Hex my brother again and it'll be the last thing you ever do, _Death Eater_."

"Oh, shut up!" Scorpius sneered at the older boy, shoving him hard. He'd heard that insult maybe a hundred times, but it still hurt.

Ignoring Albus' insistence that he was fine and to let it go, James roughly shoved Scorpius back. Before the fight could escalate, Goldstein intervened by magically separating them. "Both of you - my office. _Now_. And no talking."

Great. Now Scorpius was going to get in trouble for the first time in his life all because of this stupid git.

Inside Goldstein's office, the professor ordered the two boys to sit down. He looked at James first. "This must be a new record, Mr. Potter. It hasn't even been a full week, and you're already causing trouble."

James sat back in the chair, pleased with himself at that statement.

"As for you, Mr. Malfoy," Goldstein said, now focusing his attention on the sixth-year. "I expect better from you. You know it's against the rules to hex students."

"I didn't mean to hex Albus, honestly," Scorpius said.

"You must use non-verbal magic wisely. It can have dangerous consequences," Goldstein chided. "Three days of detention for both of you, starting tomorrow." Scorpius groaned, to which James proudly smirked at. "Now get to class."

As soon as they left the classroom, Scorpius faced James and glared. "Thanks to you, I'm getting detention for the first time ever."

James grinned. "You're welcome," he happily said as he headed back toward the entrance of the castle. Scorpius stared incredulously at the impudent Gryffindor, whose blasé nature had him positively seething.

* * *

Scorpius expectantly watched the owls fly in the next day at breakfast, impatiently hoping that he had received a letter. As luck would have it, a spotted black owl landed gracefully next to him, and Scorpius hastily untied the red string that held a rolled parchment in place. He instinctively knew whom the letter was from, recognizing the owl. Finally, after days of waiting, César had replied to him. Scorpius happily munched on his eggs, daydreaming about the romantic adventures that he and César would have at Hogsmeade.

Scorpius could feel Cady's eyes on him, but he ignored her and pocketed the letter, deciding to read it away from prying eyes. He would inevitably show her the letter, but he wanted a chance to read it by himself first in private.

Classes couldn't end fast enough, and Scorpius constantly felt the weight of the letter in his pocket, begging him to be read. The temptation was barely manageable. After his final class let out for the day, Scorpius all but bolted to the nearest men's bathroom.

Closing the stall door, he sat on the toilet and fished out the parchment from his pocket.

_Scorpius,_

_We should see other people._

_César_

Scorpius blinked. He re-read the sentence. Then again. Then another five times. He turned the parchment over and back again, searching for any indication of a practical joke. But there was nothing else. No words of, 'I'm kidding,' or any sort of an explanation.

Crumpling the parchment in his hand, Scorpius got angry. Fighting off the hot tears that threatened to stream down his face, he promptly stood up and threw open the door which resounded with a loud bang that echoed throughout the room. Scorpius shoved the offending letter in his robe pocket and marched out of the bathroom, utterly stewing.

It had only been three weeks! Albeit, three long, arduous weeks since they last saw each other. How could César have moved on so quickly? They'd promised each other that they would make the long-distance thing worked, but he hadn't even _tried_!

And now Scorpius had detention wherein he had to spend two horrible hours with the absolute least person he wanted to see. Life was seriously not fair.

Meanwhile, James had had another lovely morning. Professor Flitwick didn't collect the Charms homework that he'd forgotten to do, and he'd spent most of Care of Magical Creatures debating Quidditch tactics with Fred and Cassidy. Hagrid really was too easy on them, or he'd given up trying to get them to pay attention by now; James wasn't sure.

Now James would toil away the two hours of detention time, making up Quidditch plays before eating a delicious dinner of foie gras - the main course of the night. Life was seriously great.

Except, when he arrived to the classroom - five minutes late, mind - Professor Binns, the usual detention head, wasn't to be seen. Instead, Neville stood at the front.

"Where's the gaffer?" James asked.

"Professor Binns is busy, so you both will be helping me," Neville replied.

"Busy? He's a bloody ghost," James said. "It's not like he needs to eat and shit."

"Language, James. Now, follow me."

A groan filled the room, and James just now noticed Scorpius standing up, looking absolutely miserable. He smirked at the sight.

They followed Professor Longbottom to the greenhouse. "I need help preparing the Mandrakes for the second-years, so you will clean the pots and plant the seeds, without the use of magic. This is supposed to be a punishment, after all."

James held back an eye roll. Neville was great, honestly, but Merlin did he hate Herbology - especially Mandrakes. If he remembered correctly, he had nearly failed that lesson.

Neville explained where the supplies were then retreated to his office.

Scorpius went to collect a couple of clay pots and set them on the long table. The air was stifling and way too humid for James. He shrugged out of his robe and took off his shirt, not wanting to sweat through them.

On his way back from the supply closet, Scorpius rolled his eyes.

Winking, James ran a hand across his tan, muscular torso and said, "Hope you don't mind."

"Don't flatter yourself."

James watched Scorpius balance four pots in his arms, sweat beading down his forehead. Honestly, sometimes it seemed like he was the only smart one around here. James pointed his wand at the clay pots in the supply closet then performed a 'swish and flick' maneuver. "_Wingardium Leviosa_." A line of pots flew overhead as James guided them to the table. The landing was a bit wonky, and he broke a couple of pots in the process.

Scorpius rolled his eyes again and promptly fixed the broken clay pots back to their original state. "We're not supposed to use magic."

"Neville's not even here," he retorted. "_Accio _soil!" Two heavy bags of soil flew at James. He stumbled backwards from the weight but caught both bags. James gave Scorpius a shit-eating grin.

"I could dock you points for inappropriate behavior." Scorpius was fed up with James' total lack of regard for the rules.

"You won't do that, Malfoy." James magically made the packets of Mandrake seeds come to him. "Unless you'd rather spend four hours slaving away here, magic will make this go a lot faster. That's what being a wizard is for."

Scorpius scowled. James had a point which made his scowl deepen. He was hot and miserable, and if he had to listen to Potter prattle on for one more second, he was going to lose it. James being shirtless certainly did not help his irritation. Life was not fair when the world's biggest arsehole had a body like that. Scorpius almost regretted not playing Quidditch for the muscles alone - his pale, thin figure was quite evident, even through his clothes.

Finally, Scorpius couldn't take the stifling heat anymore. He took off his robe and tossed it next to James' clothes, then rolled up his sleeves and loosened his tie. His normally neat hair was surely messed up from the moisture, but he tried not to think about how gross and sweaty he must look right now.

The pair worked in silence for the next half hour, magically cleaning the pots and putting in soil and the seeds. They actually worked well together when neither of them talked, working in a conveyor belt-like fashion.

More than halfway done, James needed a break. He went in search of two glasses for water, stepping over their clothes lying haphazardly on the floor. It was there that James noticed a wrinkled ball of parchment on top of his shirt. He reached down and picked it up, unrolling the parchment.

James let out a sudden burst of laughter. "Bloody hell! Someone broke up with you through the post!"

Scorpius' eyes widened in horror and he took two long strides to snatch the note out of James' hands. "What the fuck, Potter? You can't just go through people's mail." All of the anger from before came back to him in a rush, and he shoved the Gryffindor to let some of it out.

James narrowed his eyes. "How was I supposed to know it was yours?"

"Whose else would it be? We're the only ones here!" He shouted. "_Fuck!_"

James almost felt bad. It must have sucked to be dumped via post - who did that?! But it was Malfoy, so that feeling didn't last long.

"Whoa, wait," he said, just realizing something. "Isn't César a bloke's name?"

Scorpius felt his face go instantly hot, and he turned away, ripping up the parchment into tiny pieces.

"You're a poof!" James exclaimed out of shock. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, he slowly bent down and picked up his shirt to put it on.

Scorpius turned around in time to see James buttoning up his shirt. "Don't be a fucking arsehole," he said hotly, his face probably still bright red. "It's not like I'm staring at your ugly self."

James walked to the table without a word and continued planting seeds, as if nothing had happened. But inside, he felt strange. Sick to his stomach, almost. He couldn't rationalize why this news affected him so much. Louis liked blokes, and he didn't care. So why did it matter that Malfoy did, too?

They were silent again for the rest of the time. It wasn't until they both left the greenhouse and headed back toward the castle after notifying Neville they were done that Scorpius turned to James. His voice shaky, he managed to say in a rush, "Look, James. I know we hate each other and you could probably use this as blackmail or whatever, but please don't tell anyone. I don't want people to find out."

James scrutinized Scorpius for a long moment, unsure of what to say. Yes, he now had leverage against Malfoy, but he wasn't cruel enough to blab someone else's secret to the entire school - especially a secret like that. Still, it was fun to mess with the Slytherin a bit. "Hm, I don't know. I kind of like the idea of blackmail."

Scorpius fiercely glared at James. "Dammit, I'm serious. Please don't make me beg."

James almost smiled at the thought, but Scorpius looked so upset that he finally said, "I'm not going to tell anyone. Promise."

Not sure whether to believe him or not, Scorpius figured he didn't really have much of a choice. And that sucked. Having to trust Potter not to spill his biggest secret really _really_ sucked. This was the worst day of his life, by far.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

James kept his word about not spilling Scorpius' secret for almost two weeks. He hadn't meant to tell anyone at all; it had just slipped out. After dinner, James headed to his dormitory to relax before Astronomy later that evening. Suffering from the onset of a food coma, James flopped onto his four-poster bed before groaning at his aching stomach. He had eaten far too many sausage rolls tonight.

"Is someone here?" A male voice quietly hissed.

James rolled over and sat up, his eyes searching for the voice. He didn't see anyone, and the room appeared to be empty. "Hello?" He called out.

"Shit, someone is here," the same voice whispered. "I better go."

James turned his head toward the sound and saw John Davies materialize from Louis' bed. Davies was Ravenclaw's Quidditch Captain, and he'd seen a lot of the dark-haired sixth-year over the summer. "How's it going, John?" James asked him, unfazed by the situation. John mumbled incoherently and practically ran out the door.

Louis disabled the protection charm and appeared in his bed, shirtless and his hair a tangled mess.

"You didn't have to stop on my account," James said.

"Eh, he's still skittish about people knowing," Louis said. "So unlike the rest of them."

"It's not like I didn't see you two canoodling all summer. This is still a thing, then?"

Louis brushed his golden locks from his face, tucking the longer strands behind his ear. "I haven't gotten bored yet, if that's what you're asking."

James laid down on his bed, tucking his hands behind his head. The look on John's face before he rushed out was the same look that Scorpius had when his secret was discovered. Did that mean John was in the closet, too? "Hey, Lou. How'd you know John was gay or whatever if he hasn't told people?" James curiously asked. "Like, could you tell?" He never in a million years would have guessed that Davies would be into blokes - he just didn't seem like "the type."

"You can assume about some people, I suppose, but you can't really be certain unless you ask. And even then…" Louis fell silent for a few moments before going on. "Actually, John was the one who asked me out last May. Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking that my gaydar must be really off."

Louis started laughing and went over to sit on James' bed, intrigued by the conversation. "And why do you say that?"

James sat up, facing his cousin. "Well, in detention, I found out - " James paused, his jaw dropping a little as he remembered that he wasn't supposed to say anything. "Er, never mind. Let's drop it."

Louis peered at him curiously for a few moments before putting two and two together. "Wait," he slowly began to say. "Is Malfoy… gay?"

"Yes, but you can't say anything!" James said in a rush. "He made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone."

"How do you even know this?"

James tore his eyes away from Louis and glanced up at the wooden panels above him. "Er, I sort of read his letter, and it was from some guy breaking up with him."

"You read his post?" Louis exclaimed in outrage.

"Not on purpose! I mean, not really," James defended. "It's not a big deal."

"Yes it is. That's not your secret to know about - or tell - if he doesn't want anyone to know."

James frowned. "Well, now it's not your secret to tell, too."

Louis fell silent for a minute, tapping his chin with his long index finger thoughtfully. "You know," he finally said. "I think I have the perfect person for him to have as a rebound."

"Ugh, please," James interrupted, clamping his hands over his ears. "I _so_ do not want to picture Malfoy snogging one of your weird fanboys." He already felt nauseous from dinner. That thought would surely put his upset stomach over the edge.

Unfortunately for Scorpius, some Gryffindors weren't to be trusted with secrets, and he soon discovered that while working on his Potions essay in the library one day. After writing for a solid half hour, Scorpius paused to let his hand and mind rest. He sat back in his chair, looking up to see Louis Weasley staring at him. Scorpius cast his eyes downward, not thinking anything of it - until curiosity got the best of him. He looked back up, and sure enough Weasley was still staring at him, a weird expression on his face. Scorpius tried to subtly look around him in case Weasley happened to be staring at someone else. But because it was a Friday night, the library was fairly deserted, and there weren't many people around him.

Scorpius went back to his essay, forcing himself not to stare back at the blond, which proved futile because moments later Scorpius practically jumped out of his chair, surprised by Louis' greeting. The Weasley sat in the seat across from him, acting way too smug for his own good.

"What do you want?" He sneered, suddenly feeling paranoid that he was about to be pranked. Louis and his insufferable friends were known for their pranks, and he suspected that given what he did to Albus a couple of weeks ago, he could be their next victim.

Ignoring his question, Louis peered over the table to see what Scorpius was working on. "Properties of the Living Draught," he read aloud the headline of the essay. "I've never been particularly adept at Potions. I only got an A on my O.W.L.s."

"I'm clearly busy, so if you don't mind could you please leave me alone?" Scorpius struggled to stay polite, and his tone had an evident edge to it.

"Do you know Marcus Travers?" Louis asked.

"Um, yeah. He's a year above me in Slytherin." Scorpius narrowed his eyes, clearly not following. "Why?" He suspiciously asked.

"What do you think of him?" Louis tapped a finger on the table, a deceptively innocent look on his face.

Scorpius had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew where this conversation would lead. "I don't know. We haven't talked much."

"He's a decent bloke, for a Slytherin," Louis went on. "Easy on the eyes, and very interested in blonds." Louis gave him a pointed look, and Scorpius knew. _Dammit, Potter!_

"He told you, didn't he?" Scorpius harshly whispered, gripping his quill so tightly that he heard a small snap. "It's only been two bloody weeks!"

"Yes, but think of this as a good thing," Louis said, a strange glint in his eyes. "Out of the goodness of my heart, I will find you the best lay, because I can only imagine how humiliating it must have been for you to be broken up with over post. Merlin, what an arse not to even care enough to do that in person. I would have _died _from embarrassment." Smirking, Louis added, "Of course, something like that would never happen to me."

Scorpius' quill broke in two. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Leave me the _fuck_ alone, Weasley."

Louis remained unfazed. "I'm only trying to help. We have to look out for each other, you know. And I think you and Travers would get along very well."

Realizing that Louis was not, in fact, going to leave him alone, Scorpius began gathering his parchment and books. Standing up, he stared down Louis, giving the Gryffindor his infamous Malfoy sneer. "I am not interested in Travers, and I certainly do not need your help finding someone. If you ever talk to me about this again, I will hex you so badly you won't wake up in the Hospital Wing for weeks." As he sauntered away, Scorpius heard Louis exclaim in that stupid silky tone of his, "Threatening the Head Boy is a big mistake, Malfoy! Starting the year with two detentions could be very bad for you!"

Scorpius knew he was basically fucked. Now that Louis Weasley knew, it was only a matter of time before his little minions found out his secret and told all of Hogwarts that he was gay - and dumped through post, no less. The majority of gossip at school could almost always be traced back to the Head Boy. So when Marcus Travers deliberately sat down on the couch next to him in the Slytherin common room later that evening, Scorpius just knew that Louis had told him already. He wasn't the least bit shocked when Marcus scooted closer to him, their legs almost touching, and said, "Good evening, Scorpius," like they had been friends forever. Stifling a sigh, Scorpius resigned to his fate that his life and everything good in it would be over soon. Pointedly ignoring Cady's confused expression, Scorpius half-heartedly greeted the seventh-year back. He was going to _fucking kill James bloody Potter._

"What are you working on?" Marcus asked, trying to start a conversation. Scorpius was not going to be roped into Louis' stupid game that easily. "Homework," he said. Maybe if he didn't talk much then Marcus would leave him alone.

Marcus did not get the hint, and instead peered closer to see what Scorpius was writing. "It's a Charms essay," Scorpius said, his irritability evident in his tone. "Nothing terribly exciting." He almost felt bad for not giving Marcus a chance. He was attractive enough and seemed like a decent bloke from the very limited interactions that he'd had with the man; perhaps in another life they could have gotten on. Unfortunately, the fact that Louis Weasley of all people was trying to set them up and Marcus had probably even slept with the infuriating Gryffindor was just too much of a turn-off.

"So listen," Marcus began. "Hogsmeade is tomorrow, and we should go together."

Scorpius watched Cady, who sat in the velvet green armchair across from him and who Scorpius knew had been eavesdropping, perk up. "Um, actually Cady and I were going to go together." He gave his best friend a silent pleading look to play along. Unfortunately, it seemed that even she - the one person he could count on - was set on ruining his life, too. "Oh, don't worry about me. You two should definitely go together!" She gave her best friend an earnest smile, blissfully unaware of his silent misery.

Scorpius glared at the traitor as Marcus exclaimed, "Perfect! I can't wait." He gave Scorpius' shoulder a meaningful squeeze before leaving. Cady bounced over to the couch and sat down in Marcus' place, practically squealing with excitement. "Scor, I can't believe it! You have a date! And he's _so_ cute."

"What the hell, Cady? I wanted to go to Hogsmeade with you."

"Please," Cady said, waving him away. "We always go together. You'll have way more fun with that hottie who is perfect for getting over César."

Scorpius sank down on the couch and sighed. He was too embarrassed to tell her that this was the result of two boneheaded Gryffindors spilling his one major secret. And for the record, Marcus didn't come close to competing with César. No one did.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

James and his friends were casually walking around Hogsmeade on Saturday afternoon, eating various chocolates and candies that they had bought from Honeydukes.

"Here! This is the spot!" Fred exclaimed as he stopped walking and gestured to an empty field not far from the Shrieking Shack. "Dad said he's thinking about expanding and building the shop here. In a couple of years, I could be manager."

"That's amazing, babe!" Cassidy exclaimed, kissing her boyfriend on the cheek.

"Don't you think the owner of Zonko's will get pissed?" Frankie asked.

"Well, we were going to buy them out, but there's nothing wrong with some healthy competition." Freddie wrapped an arm around Cassidy's shoulders and said, "Just think - after a long day of practice with the Chudley Cannons, you could come home to me in Hogsmeade." Cassidy was Gryffindor's captain and Keeper, and the Chudley scouts had been watching her for years. Both James and Louis started making retching noises. "You two are so perfect it makes me want to puke," Louis said while handing out a sizable button to a random passerby.

"What the hell are you doing?" James asked his cousin.

"Oh, this is just some merch for my loyal fans." Louis held up a button with his face on it that flashed the words, '#1 Louis Fan!'

There was a collective eyeroll among the group. Fred said, "Mate, at least charge your stalkers for a button. That's just business 101."

Louis huffed and shook his head. "For the last time, Freddie, they are not my stalkers. You're just jealous that you could only get one girl daft enough to date you - no offense, Cass. Meanwhile, I have a plethora of amazing lovers at my beck and call."

James snorted. "Don't tell Davies that. He might get jealous, too." Louis threw a button at James' head which actually hurt a little bit. As he rubbed the side of his head, he saw in the near distance Scorpius Malfoy storming right towards them, his wand pointed at James. _Uh-oh._ This couldn't be good. "Hey guys," James hurriedly said, facing his friends. "Speaking of Zonko's, let's go there, like, right now."

Before he could make a run for it, he heard Scorpius yell, "I am going to fucking kill you, Potter!" James stumbled from Scorpius' hard shove, barely catching himself, and he whirled around to face the Slytherin. "We need to talk, _now_," Scorpius said, his wand pointed squarely between James' brown eyes.

Ever the protective best friend, Freddie shoved Scorpius away from his cousin and said, "Oi, back off, Malfoy!"

Amused by the situation that he probably had a hand in causing, Louis happily said, "Hey, Malfoy. I heard that Travers is looking for you."

Scorpius whipped around and gave Louis the meanest death glare that he could summon. Unfazed, Louis walked up to Scorpius and placed one of his buttons on the lapel of the sixth year's shirt. "Here, consider this an apology gift."

James loved his cousin, but Louis sure did enjoy escalating an already bad situation - one that James would undoubtedly bear the brunt of.

"What are you all on about?" Frankie asked, thoroughly confused. He didn't know how it was possible that his friends were already making trouble this soon into the school year.

"Eh, nothing important," James said. "Listen, Malfoy. Can whatever this is wait? We're about to go to Zonko's."

"No, actually, it can't." Scorpius roughly grabbed James' arm and tried pulling him away from the group, but the stupid burly Gryffindor didn't even budge. Fred intervened, but James waved him away and said, "It's cool, Freddie. I got this." He might as well get this confrontation over with. Technically, he was in the wrong so he couldn't very well blame Scorpius for being angry that he had told Louis his secret.

James let himself be dragged by the younger man toward the Shrieking Shack. "Oi, Malfoy, I don't know what you're into, but I don't shack up in the Shack," he joked. _If looks could kill._ Alright, so maybe that wasn't the best joke to make given the current situation.

"Fuck you!" Scorpius exclaimed, dropping James' arm and casting a stinging hex at the man's feet.

"Ow!" James jumped up in pain. "I'm sorry! Honestly, I didn't mean to tell anyone."

"Because of you, Marcus Travers has been following me everywhere today, and I've just now managed to shake him!"

James frowned. "Wait, what? How is that my fault?"

"_Because_," Scorpius said, casting another stinging hex. This time, James dodged it. "You told Hogwarts' biggest gossip queen, and now he's trying to set me up with one of his sloppy seconds."

"Wait, hold on." James wasn't sure he heard the sixth-year right. Now _Travers_ was gay? How did he not know this stuff about people?! "Travers and Louis were together?" James made a face. "Eugh, gross." How could Louis have gotten with a Slytherin? Fucking traitor.

Scorpius was not in the mood for whatever borderline-homophobic remark James had next, and he raised his wand again. Before he could say the spell, James ran away toward the entrance of the Shrieking Shack. Scorpius ran after him, shouting, "We are not done here!"

"Then stop hexing me!" James shouted from inside the dilapidated building. "You're supposed to be a prefect!" He just knew that the moment he hexed Scorpius back, the slimy git would take points away from him. Scorpius pocketed his wand and pushed James against the wall. "Soon the whole school will find out and it'll get back to my parents and my life will be ruined." He was practically shaking with anger. Remembering the stupid fucking button that Louis had had the nerve to attach to his shirt, he removed it and forcibly threw it on the ground.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," James said, rolling his eyes. He stood up to his full height but, annoyingly, the sixth-year was still taller than him by a couple of inches.

"I am sick and tired of you and your stupid friends thinking that you can get away with shit like this all because of - " Scorpius paused, hearing voices.

"All we need is thirty-six more hours, and the devilroot draught is yours," a gruff voice from outside said. James had heard of the devilroot draught from Teddy. Supposedly, it was an illegal substance that made wizards go mad. He was not about to be caught in the middle of a drug deal, so he started looking around for someplace to hide.

Scorpius had the same thought, and he opened a door to a broom closet for them to hide in. James quickly followed and shut the door. The broom closet was dark and very small. As he peered through the slats and watched four men enter the room, he could feel Scorpius press up against his back to see, as well. James tried really hard not to think about that.

A tall, lean man with a buzzcut and piercing dark eyes stood in front of the three other men. By his presence alone, James could tell he was the leader.

"Now you're starting to piss me off," the man said. "I've already given you an extension. You better not be playing games with me. My boss wouldn't be happy to learn that you have plans on stiffing him."

The shortest and roundest man of the group said in a nervous high-pitched tone, "We've almost brewed enough batches, but the ingredients are hard to come by. We just need a little more time."

James and Scorpius watched through the slats as the man gripped his wand and said, "Sorry. You're out of time." In one swift move, he performed a spell that slit all three men's throats. Scorpius let out an audible gasp, horrified at what he had just witnessed, before clamping a hand over his mouth.

The man's eyes darted around him, and he roughly called out, "Who's there?"

Scorpius pulled James further into the broom closet to shield both of them from the door. The tiny room became even tinier at the back, and now James was pressed up against Scorpius. He buried his head into the crook of Scorpius' neck to quiet his breathing, and his tears dropped onto Scorpius' shirt. James never cried, but he had just seen three men get brutally murdered, and he could hear them choking as they bled to death. That could very well be him and Scorpius if they were caught. Never had death felt so close, and it was terrifying.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," the man sing-songed, way too joyfully for having just killed three people. "I promise I'll make your deaths quick and painless."

Scorpius desperately clutched James' shirt as he struggled to control his breathing. He heard a loud bang, like a door exploding, and it took all he had not to jump out of his skin or cry out. He did not want to die today. A few quiet moments passed, and some of the immediate terror left Scorpius, so he began to calm down a little bit. Unfortunately, this meant his body was starting to do other things. Despite his pure hatred for Potter and despite the very real possibility that he may die at any moment, feeling James pressed against him, the man's mouth puffing out hot air against his neck, and smelling James' infuriatingly intoxicating scent, Scorpius was turned on. It took James a minute to process that what had suddenly hit the top of his thigh was Scorpius' erection. When his own body betrayed him and his jeans felt a little tighter in response, James sprung away in disgust. His back hit a shelf which caused a small cauldron to fall and shatter on the floor. _Well, fuck._

Instantly, the broom closet door blasted away. Thinking fast, amidst all the dust and debris, James grabbed one of the cauldrons from behind him and threw it in the general direction of the man's face. Half a second later, Scorpius yelled, "_Stupefy,"_ and the man flew backwards. James sent another cauldron flying at the man for good measure before grabbing Scorpius' hand and booking it out of there.

He sprinted across the field to disappear among the throng of people on the cobblestone walkway, all but dragging Scorpius behind him. "D'you think he saw us?" Scorpius managed to ask in between pants, struggling to stay on his feet as they ran. "I feel like he saw me."

James didn't answer and kept running through the crowd, probably knocking people down in the process. He was too scared to care. He looked over his shoulder to see if the man were following him before running straight into someone.

"Woah, watch it!" The voice said.

James looked up and nearly cursed. He was staring right at an older version of Scorpius.

"James?" _Of bloody course_ the man next to Mr. Malfoy was his own father. Scorpius instantly dropped James' hand when he saw his dad and bent over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"Scorpius, what are you doing?" Draco asked his son. At the same time, Harry asked them, "Why were you two running?"

"Um, we were, um," James looked to Scorpius for help, but received nothing but a blank stare. "Racing." The two men looked unconvinced and even more confused. Before either of them could say anything, James changed the subject and asked his dad, "What are you doing here? And what are you doing with _him_?" Scorpius gave James a pointed look which James ignored.

"We're here on official Auror business," Harry said. "It was very last minute, otherwise I would have owled you and your siblings."

"What business do you have with the Aurors?" Scorpius asked his dad. His parents did charity work and deliberately stayed away from any and all Auror business.

"It's nothing you need to worry about," Draco answered.

"Sorry I'm late." A man appeared from behind Harry - the very same man who had just murdered three people. Both James and Scorpius tried desperately not to react, but James could feel his knees go weak like he was going to pass out. "Can you believe the crowd here? Whose idea was it to meet at Hogsmeade on a weekend?"

Harry chuckled at the man before turning back to his son. "James, this is my new partner, Leo Ofstrovsky."

"Nice to meet you," James meekly said, forcing a smile as he regrettably shook the murderer's hand.

Leo peered at the two students curiously before saying, "I feel like I'm interrupting a family reunion."

Draco's gray eyes flickered between his son and James. "Yes, how strange to have literally run into both of you."

James' heart nervously skipped a beat. Thinking fast, he jovially slung an arm around Scorpius' shoulders and grinned. "Oh, you know us. Just two friends having a good time together on a beautiful day."

"Since when are you two friends?" Scorpius could feel his dad's disapproving eyes upon him. Giving James a sideways glance, he softly answered, "It's a recent development."

"You'll never believe what I found on the ground," Leo said, reaching into his robe pocket and pulling out Louis' button. Scorpius almost shit himself as he remembered throwing that very button on the floor of the Shrieking Shack.

"Let me see that," Harry said, taking it from his Auror partner. He chuckled and shook his head. "This looks like the work of my nephew, Louis. Have you seen this, James?"

"Um, yeah, he's been passing them out." James nervously scratched the back of his neck before adding, "Anyway, we should go. Nice seeing you, Dad."

"You too, Jamie. Say hi to Al and Lily for me."

Draco nodded goodbye to his son and said, "Owl your mother more, Scorpius."

Scorpius and James finished saying their goodbyes before walking away, not stopping until they were at the train station alone.

Feeling lightheaded, James sat down on a bench and placed his head in his hands, struggling to process everything they had just witnessed. Above everything, the one thought that stood out was what he blurted out. "So, um, can we talk about the thing in your pants touching me?"

Scorpius' eyes bugged out of his head. "Are you fucking joking? That's what you want to talk about? _That?!_ We just watched a bloody Auror magically slit three people's throats, who, by the way, works with your father!"

James' head shot up and he shushed Scorpius, nervously glancing around him to make sure they were actually alone. "Maybe he's working undercover."

"OK, but Aurors don't kill people, James. Especially not like that." Scorpius hissed, "Your father is partnered with a murderer!"

"Well who's to say that they're not both working undercover?" James shot back, standing up and facing Scorpius. "Maybe they're trying to bust your dad for running a drug cartel."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Really? My dad plans charity fundraisers and gives toys to orphanages."

"Or maybe that's just a front for his drug cartel. He was a death eater, after all. This is the type of shit that death eaters do!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Scorpius exclaimed, getting angry again. "First of all, death eaters aren't even a thing anymore - "

"You would know," James interrupted.

"And second of all," Scorpius growled, "My dad is a good man who has spent his entire adult life righting the wrongs of his past because of blithering idiots like you who won't let the past go!" Scorpius really wanted to hex James again. "Listen, I say we just forget this entire thing ever happened and get on with our lives."

"Done," James said. He _so_ did not need this incident weighing him down on his last year at Hogwarts. "Let's agree to never speak of this - any of this - to anyone ever. No one can know what we saw."

"Agreed." This would be one more secret that they both shared together. _Wonderful._


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it took longer than usual t****o upload! I recently got a new puppy, and she has taken up pretty much all my free time (and gets very jealous when I pay attention to my laptop instead of her)! **

Chapter 5

The news of the murder at the Shrieking Shack was in the Daily Prophet the next morning, and it was all anyone could talk about at Hogwarts. The fact that this murder had taken place on Hogsmeade's busiest weekend of the year without anyone seeing or hearing anything mystified the professors and students. Supposedly, Headmistress McGonagall was in an uproar that one of her students could very well have been killed. If only she knew how close to the truth that was. The entire front page of the Daily Prophet was devoted to what had happened, who the victims were - bad men with a long rap sheet, according to an Auror - and rumors about why these men's throats were slit in broad daylight at Hogsmeade Village.

James was a wreck. He could barely eat his breakfast, which was saying something considering breakfast was his favorite meal of the day. He wished the Gryffindor table would shut up about this already, but he couldn't very well tell them that because it would raise suspicion. In fact, he couldn't tell anyone anything. Although he sensed that Scorpius must be feeling the same way as he, James didn't dare cast a single glance at the Slytherin.

After breakfast, James and his Quidditch teammates dressed in their kits and headed to the pitch for their first practice of the year. James hoped that Quidditch would provide a break from the paranoia and madness in his head. As co-captain this year, he was excited to have picked, in his eyes, the best team out of the four Houses, and his main goal was to win the Quidditch Cup one last time. He would be damned if he let this incident ruin those chances.

Fortunately, James was kept busy yelling out drills and Quidditch plays for the first half of practice. He started to relax and thought maybe what he had witnessed wouldn't take over his life. Surely the Aurors could figure out that one of their own was a rat. His dad wasn't stupid - he had to sense that his partner was a bad guy. With that thought in mind, James raced to catch the Quaffle thrown by the other Chaser and sailed it toward the hoop.

After Quidditch practice, James began to feel calmer about everything. Quidditch had a knack for clearing his mind, and the thought of having almost been killed by his dad's Auror partner had left him. Until lunch. As if his fellow students hadn't exhausted the topic enough at breakfast, everyone was still talking about the murders. James couldn't take it anymore. His anxiety levels had peaked, so much so that he scarfed down his lunch as quickly as possible and all but ran to his dormitory.

He spent the rest of the afternoon holed up on his bed working on homework - something he hadn't ever done. The distraction of homework, and he'd had a lot to catch up on, gave him the respite his anxiety desperately needed, and once dinner rolled around James felt better.

Until, that is, he sat down at his usual spot in the Great Hall, looked over at the staff table and spotted Leo Ofstrovsky chatting cordially with Professor Goldstein, bloody smiling as if _he hadn't just murdered three people one fucking day ago! _It was at this point that James was beginning to think the universe was playing some cruel cosmic joke on him. Panic bloomed in his chest, sweat appeared on his forehead and under his armpits and he was having trouble breathing. _Fuck_, he was going to have a full-blown panic attack in the Great Hall. That wouldn't look suspicious at all! He had to get out of here.

Before James could bolt, however, Headmistress McGonagall called everyone to attention. "Good evening, everyone," she began, standing behind the podium. "As you all are surely aware by now, three wizards were brutally murdered yesterday in Hogsmeade. The staff and I do not take this news lightly, and we are incredibly fortunate that no student was harmed in any way. Hogwarts is, and will continue to be, the safest place for you, but to ensure your safety we have doubled our wards and placed everyone under a strict curfew of 8 p.m."

McGonagall turned and beckoned to Leo. James could only watch in horror, all appetite gone, as Leo joined the Headmistress at the podium. "Auror Ofstrovsky, who is leading this investigation, will assist not only in protecting the students and staff here but also in finding the perpetrator." She stepped back from the podium and Leo stepped forward.

"Thank you, Minerva. My name is Leontinus Ofstrovsky. I want to assure you all that the Ministry is doing everything we can to find the person responsible and to keep you all safe. I gravely apologize for the disruption this has caused everyone at Hogwarts. Please, if you know anything, if you saw something or someone suspicious at Hogsmeade, I implore you to come forward and notify either me or one of your professors. With Merlin's luck, we can end this investigation soon and school can resume as normal. Thank you." Ofstrovsky stepped down, and McGonagall permitted everyone to eat, but James was no longer hungry. All he knew was that he needed to be anywhere but here before an anxiety attack overcame him.

* * *

McGonagall wasn't kidding about the strict curfew. After dinner, she called an impromptu meeting for all of the prefects to double up efforts in enforcing the new 8 p.m. curfew. Scorpius hadn't been scheduled to patrol the corridors tonight, but he was asked to keep an eye out on the towers. There was no way he was refusing the Headmistress, so he politely obeyed. Besides, a walk alone at night would hopefully clear his mind, even if every little noise caused him to jump out of his skin. Scorpius had had a lot of bad days in his life - especially recently - and today definitely made the list of top 10 worst days ever.

Rounding the corner on the staircase leading up to the tower near the Divination classroom, Scorpius heard something resembling a man sniffling. He shut his eyes tightly, forcing himself to breathe evenly and not get too worked up. However, the only images flashing through his mind were of Auror Ofstrovsky slicing three men's throats with non-verbal magic. Rubbing his own throat, Scorpius opened his eyes and reluctantly walked toward the noise. A student was probably just out of bed after curfew, even though McGonagall had explicitly demanded that no one be out this late. Or maybe this was Ofstrovsky looking for him to finish him off. Besides, which student would be so reckless and stupid enough to be out after curfew when a murderer was loose and _inside Hogwarts?!_

Following the sound, Scorpius saw a lone figure sitting on the cold concrete with what looked to be a half-empty bottle of firewhiskey in hand. The mop of auburn hair instantly made it clear that James Potter was breaking the rules _again_. What a surprise. Of course he would be the only one reckless and stupid enough.

"Do you have a death wish, Potter?" He asked, announcing his presence by striding in the room all business-like with a stern expression and his arms crossed over his chest. "Are you seriously that daft to think you can get away with breaking curfew and drinking a banned substance at Hogwarts, especially given recent events?"

"Go away, Malfoy," James hissed, his eyes firmly staring at the ground.

Scorpius huffed irritably. "Causing trouble and blatantly breaking the rules will only bring more attention to yourself. I knew you were an idiot but I didn't think even you could reach this level of idiocy!"

James' head snapped up and he glared at the Slytherin. Scorpius noticed how red and glassy James' eyes were, as if he had been crying. "_Go away, Malfoy,"_ he repeated himself, punctuating every syllable with contempt.

Scorpius was a little taken back. He had never seen James this upset. A wave of empathy reluctantly washed over him, and his features softened. He understood exactly how James was feeling because he was feeling the same thing. Awkwardly, Scorpius went over to James and sat down next to him. "You're not alone in this, you know," he whispered.

James took a long swig from the bottle and leaned his head against the wall, determined not to start crying again in front of Malfoy.

"All day I've had to listen to people talk about the Hogsmeade murders, acting as if this is the most exciting thing to ever happen," Scorpius bitterly said. "Meanwhile, I can't help but picture him around every corner ready to slit my throat, too."

"No one would shut up about it," James said, his words slightly slurring together.

Scorpius turned his head to face the Gryffindor. "I can't stop thinking about whether he saw me or not," he said softly, terrified that someone might overhear. But he needed to get this off his chest, to voice his fears aloud, and despite all of the hatred he felt towards James Potter, James was the only person who would understand. "Did he see me or did he not see me? I keep replaying that scene in the Shrieking Shack over and over again." Scorpius' voice was wavering, and he shut his eyes again, forcing himself to stay calm. "At dinner, I swear Ofstrovsky was looking right at me while he was giving his stupid speech, could see right through me, could -" He broke off, the tears spilling freely down his cheeks now. Scorpius felt a light squeeze on his arm, and he opened his eyes to see James' hand there.

"He doesn't know," James quietly said, his brown eyes boring intensely into Scorpius' grey ones. "His speech made that much obvious. But I don't know what to do when he starts digging. The Ministry will be expecting to wrap this case up soon, and he's obviously not going to turn himself in."

"Do we say something? Tell McGonagall what we saw? She'd have to believe us, right?"

James dropped his hand from Scorpius' arm and began nervously fiddling with the bottle. His head was heavy with firewhiskey and terror, and he couldn't think properly. He had come to this spot to escape and drink until he passed out, but now he was forced to confront his fears and he didn't know the right answers. James wasn't cut out for this. It was his last year at Hogwarts, and he should be spending it causing trouble and hanging out with his friends without a care in the world. Now, however, he felt as if his life were hanging in the balance, and one wrong move would bring about his death.

Scorpius looked at him expectantly, waiting for answers that James couldn't give. "I don't know what to do," he answered honestly. "If we tell McGonagall or my dad, will Leo find out and just kill us before he's arrested? My dad and the Ministry clearly don't know what's really going on, otherwise they wouldn't have entrusted a murderer to protect Hogwarts and lead the investigation."

"But if we don't tell anyone, he may frame someone to end the case, and then an innocent person goes to Azkaban," Scorpius countered. "But who do we trust?"

James scrubbed a hand over his face and through his hair as he thought about that. "Maybe I can talk to my dad," he finally said. "He'll believe me."

"No way," Scorpius said. "He's Ofstrovsky's partner. He could be just as corrupted."

"Watch it, Malfoy. That's my dad you're talking about, who also happens to be Harry Potter."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "I know who you're fucking dad is."

James glared at the Slytherin before continuing. "Anyway, maybe he knows about Ofstrosky's corruption, but doesn't have any evidence. We could say we witnessed the whole thing, even put our memory in the pensieve to prove it, and Dad could protect us."

That didn't sound like a bad plan to Scorpius. Still… "What if that backfires? What if he gets to us first?"

James' face fell. "I don't know, Malfoy. I don't know what to do. All I know is that I can't keep living in constant fear. I'm too young and handsome to die."

Scorpius snorted in laughter in spite of himself, and James scowled at him in response. "Even in crisis, your ego is erroneously over-inflated," Scorpius retorted.

Despite all the turmoil and back-and-forth going on in his mind, a small smirk crept upon James' lips. "Says the bloke who got turned on by me."

"I- I- what?" Scorpius spluttered as James' stupid smirk widened. "First of all, that closet was bloody tiny and emotions were running high, so don't flatter yourself. And second, are you seriously bringing this up _again? Now?_ What is wrong with you?"

James raised his hands up in defense. "Hey, I don't know what you're into, being gay and all -" Scorpius' eyes flashed in outrage - "but I've never had a boner press into me, and… and you should really control that problem of yours." James' cheeks flamed as he thought back to that closet, and he quickly blamed the alcohol for overheating his entire body. He had no idea why he was bringing this up again, but the details of yesterday - every single detail - refused to leave his mind.

"You're infuriating," Scorpius said, the anger creeping upon him as it usually did when around James. "And why the hell do you keep focusing on this when there are way more important things going on? Is there something you need to tell me, Potter?"

James' face heated up even more at what Scorpius was insinuating. "All I'm saying is to keep all your body parts far away from me. I'm not a queer, Malfoy," he practically spat out.

Scorpius wanted to punch James so badly, but he knew he would be no match for the Gryffindor. Besides, he was a prefect on duty. He should be marching James up to the Headmistress' office for breaking curfew and drinking firewhiskey on school property. "Don't worry," he coldly said. "The less I'm around you, the better. You have made my life pure hell this year, and I swear to Merlin if you get me killed I will haunt you for the rest of your mediocre, pathetic life."

"Yeah, well, the same goes for you," James sneered.

Scorpius sneered right back. "If you do not return to your dormitory in the next five seconds, I will make sure you get at least a week of detention."

James rolled his eyes and took one last long drink of firewhiskey before transfiguring the bottle into a small stone and unsteadily getting to his feet.

"Hurry up, Potter, before I make that two weeks," Scorpius said, standing up as well.

"OK, _Mum_, I'm leaving. Fucking hell." Giving the Slytherin another eye roll, he grabbed his invisibility cloak and pulled out the Marauder's Map. Knocking into Scorpius' shoulder with perhaps more force than necessary, James brushed past him and headed downstairs, careful not to run into anyone else.

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**I would greatly appreciate reviews to let me know you're enjoying the story!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

James woke up the following morning with a terrible hangover. It felt like someone was repeatedly whacking him in the forehead with a Beater bat.

"Wakey, wakey, Jamie," Fred sing-songed in his ear. "Time for brekkie!"

Groaning, James turned away and pulled the covers over his head. "Ugh, go away. I'm sleeping in."

"Bruv, that's what you get for going out drinking last night," Fred said, way too happily at this early hour.

"And for clearly breaking curfew," Frankie chided James.

"I've heard drinking alone after curfew is the gateway to becoming an alcoholic," Louis chimed in. "Do we need to stage an intervention?"

James threw his pillow sideways toward the vicinity of his friends. "Fuck off, all of you," he said, his voice muffled from under the covers.

Louis and Fred laughed as they walked out of the dormitory. Picking up James' pillow and placing it on his bed, Frankie went over to his drawer and opened it. "Luckily for you, I've still got a hangover potion left," he said. Frankie dropped the vial next to James' covered head and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Don't skip morning classes, Jamie. We've got that Charms essay to turn in."

James let out a long sigh and mumbled his thanks. Once he was certain that everyone had left, he carefully sat up, opened the vial and downed its contents in one gulp. He rubbed his eyes and forehead as he waited for the potion to kick in. The last thing James wanted to do today was pretend that everything was fine and normal, but he knew he couldn't hide in his bed forever. He had done his wallowing and self-pitying last night, but now he had to be brave and soldier on. Or, on second thought, maybe he could afford to wallow just a few minutes longer before getting dressed and ready for the day. A small catnap surely wouldn't hurt, James thought, as he laid back down and rested his eyes.

Eventually, James got out of bed and hurried to get ready before dashing to the Charms classroom, and he was only five minutes late. "My bad, Flitwick," he said as he casually strolled in and took his seat next to a bemused Freddie. After that, his morning classes passed by without incident, and he even turned in all of his homework. It was in Defence Against the Dark Arts, his final class of the day, that James was reminded of how shitty his life had become recently.

Standing next to Professor Goldstein was none other than Leo _fucking _Ofstrovsky looking way too smug for his own good.

James' anxiety went into overdrive as he sat down at his usual table and became hyperaware of _not_ looking suspicious and guilty. He didn't want to look at Ofstrovsky, but would avoiding eye contact be too suspicious? How much eye contact was appropriate? Should he talk with his friends and make jokes like normal, or would that cause too much attention to himself? James then noticed that he was fidgeting and squirming in his seat, so he tried to stay still, and _oh crap_ now he was focused on not breathing too heavily so he tried holding his breath which was quickly becoming painful after several seconds, and -

"Good afternoon, class," Goldstein said, pausing James from his mental breakdown. "Auror Ofstrovsky will be stationed in my office and talking to students throughout the week."

"I'd like to thank Anthony for his patience as I know this is an unwanted distraction," Leo said, addressing the class. "Hopefully, I can gather all pertinent information by the end of next week and the investigation can wrap up quickly. I thank all of you in advance for being forthcoming and cooperative. Any information you can provide will be valuable to the investigation. With that said, may I please speak with -" Leo looked down at the parchment in his hand - "Madison Jones."

As the seventh-year Hufflepuff stood up and followed Ofstrovsky into Goldstein's office, Louis leaned in and whispered, "He's kind of hot in a militaristic way."

James took note of the man's piercing dark eyes and buzzed head, then glanced down at the long fingers that had used his wand to slice those men's throats, and he involuntarily shuddered.

"Gross," Fred whispered back. "He's so old!"

Louis scoffed as he stared at the man's retreating form. "_Please._ I'd say he's in his mid-thirties at most. Look at that _arse._"

Frankie sharply elbowed Louis in the ribs and whispered, "Shut it, Head Boy. You'll get us in trouble."

Madison was in the office for maybe five minutes, and then Leo called in two more people before sticking his head out the office door and calling out, "Louis Weasley, please."

James widened his eyes in alarm, and he wanted to warn Louis or cause a distraction - maybe suddenly get violently sick or blow up a table or _something_ \- but Louis quickly got up, winked at his friends and sauntered over to the office_. _Meanwhile, James, who had given up on paying attention to the lesson by this point, stared at the clock, the dread in his stomach growing with each passing second. Ten minutes passed, then five more, and Louis still wasn't out yet. Horrible scenarios ran through his mind. "What is taking so long?" He asked aloud.

Goldstein cleared his throat and loudly said, "Mr. Potter. Quit daydreaming and join the rest of the class."

James tore his gaze from the clock, looked up at his professor and then at the rest of the class who were all lining up against the wall. Standing, James cracked a smile and joked, "Sorry Professor, but if the lesson weren't so boring then I wouldn't have fallen asleep!"

A few titters and startled gasps followed him as James made his way to the back of the line. "I do apologize for boring you, Mr. Potter," Goldstein sarcastically said. "By all means, please liven up the lesson and be the first to demonstrate what I've been teaching for the past forty minutes."

James reluctantly turned around and stared at Goldstein, silently pleading with him to let him off the hook. "Or you could spend a long, boring afternoon with me in detention," Goldstein added.

James' brown eyes flickered over to Goldstein's office door. That was the last thing he wanted. Sighing, he slowly walked toward the front of the line, looking over to his friends for help. "_Cavé Inimicum_," Freddie whispered. Once James reached the front, Goldstein instructed, "Now turn around, face the class and perform the spell."

James did as he was told and tried to remember Freddie's words. "_Café Anemicus_," he said, waving his wand. Nothing happened, and the titters grew into louder laughter. Professor Goldstein shook his head and said, "That is incorrect, Mr. Potter." Waving his wand, Goldstein performed the correct incantation. A silvery mist shot out of his wand and became a barrier between them and the other students. "It's a protection spell. We can see, hear and smell them, but they cannot see, hear or smell us," he said before waving away the barrier. Once the mist dissipated, Goldstein added, "Please go to the back of the line. Also, I am taking away five points from Gryffindor for your inability to pay attention."

After shuffling to the back, James was relieved to see that Louis had finally exited Goldstein's office, looking happy and unharmed. Ofstrovsky called for another student as Louis joined James in the line. He really wanted to ask Louis what he and Ofstrovsky had discussed, but didn't want to risk detention so he kept his mouth shut and impatiently waited for class to end.

Once the lesson finally ended and Goldstein dismissed everyone, James and his friends began making their way to the Gryffindor common room. Cassidy was actually the first to ask the question that James so desperately wanted an answer to. "Louis, what did you and Ofstrovsky discuss?"

"You were in there a long time, mate," Fred noted.

"Mostly he wanted to know my whereabouts that day in Hogsmeade and if I had heard or seen anything strange," Louis answered. "Also, he asked a lot of questions about my fan club and its members. I suggested he sit in on a meeting and consider joining."

Frankie groaned. "You cannot whore yourself out to an Auror in the middle of an investigation. That's unprofessional!"

"I did not 'whore myself out,'" Louis said indignantly, using air quotes. "That is a prestigious club, and being part of it will pay dividends for its members once I become Minister of Magic."

Fred snorted. "Like aunt Hermione would let you have the job."

"Of course she will," Louis said with a pretentious sniff. "While you were messing about in your dad's shop, I was her apprentice over the summer and networking with very important people."

"I was not _messing about_! You're not the only one preparing for your future, you know," Fred shot back.

"Lads, stop," James cut in before the argument could go further. Turning to Louis, he tried to steer the conversation back on track and asked, "Did Ofstrovsky mention those buttons you were handing out, by chance?"

Giving Fred the stink eye, Louis turned to James and said, "Yes, actually, he did ask me about that."

"And what did you say?" James pressed. He knew Ofstrovsky had found the button that had been pinned to Scorpius' chest, and he worried the man would connect the dots.

"That I had been passing them out for recruitment and to show appreciation for my loyal fans."

"Did you tell him who you passed them out to?" James asked, a strong sense of dread rushing from his head to his toes.

"No, of course not," Louis answered. "I had hundreds of these buttons. I couldn't possibly remember everyone. What's with the interrogation, James?"

James exhaled deeply, trying to force the feeling of dread to leave his body. As nonchalantly as he could manage, he said, "I'm not meaning to. Just think we should have our stories straight, is all."

"Why does it matter?" Cassidy asked. "None of us saw anything, and we were all together."

They reached the Fat Lady portrait door. After saying the password, Frankie turned to James and asked, "Did _you_ see anything? After you and Malfoy left us?"

James wanted _so badly_ to tell them, and this was the perfect opening. But he couldn't involve his friends; it could make them targets, as well. Not to mention, he was terrified of someone potentially overhearing and snitching to Ofstrovsky. "No, nothing out of the ordinary," he said, keeping his voice even. James made his way through the portrait hole and tried to forget the last hour. It appeared that he and his friends were in the clear, and he would try to keep it that way. But now he needed to find Scorpius so that they could get their stories straight.

* * *

Later that evening, Scorpius was holed up on his bed, hiding out from everyone. Word had quickly spread today about Ofstrovsky's interrogations. He hadn't yet been questioned by the murderer, but it was only a matter of time. That was why he was currently reading a book on Occlumency in the hopes of learning how to close off his mind and memories in case Ofstrovsky happened to be a Legilimens. He needed to be prepared for all outcomes, and this was literally a life-or-death situation. Unfortunately, Scorpius wasn't able to put the theory of Occlumency into practice, because it wasn't as if he knew any skilled Legilimens who could test him.

Scorpius was so engrossed in the book and jotting down detailed notes that he failed to notice the door opening and someone entering the room. It wasn't until someone called out his name that Scorpius looked up.

Marcus smiled at Scorpius and gave a little wave when the blond noticed him. "You're a hard one to find," he remarked, sitting down on the edge of Scorpius' bed - uninvited.

Scorpius resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Since Saturday, he had tried his best to avoid Marcus. That whole thing was another stressor that he _so_ did not need in his life. "I've been busy," he dismissively said.

Marcus picked up the book on Occlumency and said, "Busy reading about this? That's rather advanced stuff."

Scorpius hastily plucked the book from Marcus' hand and put it behind him. "Extra-curricular reading. How'd you find me?"

"Cady said you might be in here," Marcus said. Scorpius narrowed his eyes and silently cursed his best friend, the traitor. "I feel like you've been avoiding me."

Scorpius let out a long sigh. He might as well tell Marcus the truth rather than lead him on. It was unfortunate because Marcus was super cute and seemed like a nice guy. Sadly, he was linked to Louis Weasley, and the thought of Louis' smug face if he and Marcus ever got together was enough to ensure that _never_ happened. Not to mention, Louis was partly responsible for this horrible mess that he and James had gotten into. "Look, Marcus. I think you're a great guy," Scorpius began.

"Uh-oh," Marcus interrupted. "Something bad usually follows that statement."

"I just don't see us working out. You were with Louis, for Merlin knows why, and I've recently discovered that's a huge deal breaker for me. I just can't look past it."

Frowning, Marcus retorted, "You realize Louis' been with almost half the upperclassmen, right? That doesn't leave you a lot of options."

"I know," Scorpius said, sighing again. "And I'm fully prepared to continue being single for a long time."

"You sure I can't convince you?" Marcus placed his hand on Scorpius' thigh and began rubbing it. Scorpius stared at the hand, contemplating. Sure, it would be nice to have a rebound from César, and Marcus seemed more than willing to give Scorpius the attention he craved. He'd had such a difficult few days; he deserved to indulge and let loose, to forget about everything going on for even a few moments. But then Scorpius pictured that hand touching certain parts of Louis, and it was almost enough to make him puke up his dinner. With that image burned in his mind, Scorpius gingerly removed Marcus' hand from his thigh and said, "Sorry, I'm afraid not."

Now it was Marcus' turn to sigh. Reluctantly, he stood up and made his way to the door. "Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." Once he left and closed the door, Scorpius fell backwards on his bed and pulled his pillow over his head, groaning loudly. Stupid Gryffindors always ruining everything for him!

* * *

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